Treason case against Pervez Musharraf to be heard daily from October 24, says Court

A special court in Pakistan on Tuesday said the high treason trial of former Pakistan president and former army chief Pervez Musharraf will start on a daily basis from October 24 as his counsel is down with dengue fever.

A three-member tribunal headed by Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth directed all parties to submit their written arguments before the next hearing.

The bench had decided last month to conduct Mr. Musharraf’s trial on a daily basis from October 8 to conclude the case pending since December 2013.

However, an application was submitted on Tuesday on behalf of his counsel for deferment of the hearing for two weeks as the counsel was down with dengue fever.

The court accepted the plea but said that hearing would be held on a daily basis from October 24.

The previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had filed the treason case against the former army chief in 2013 over the imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in November 2007, which led to the confinement of a number of superior court judges in their houses and sacking of over 100 judges.

The trial in the high-profile treason case has not seen much progress since Mr. Musharraf left for Dubai in March 2016 after his name was removed from the no-fly list.

He has not returned since, and is said to be suffering from amyloidosis, a rare condition for which he has been admitted to a hospital.

The special court has declared him an offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his no-show. The case has been virtually stalled as Mr. Musharraf’s presence is important to record his statement.

Mr. Musharraf ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008. A conviction for high treason carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.

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